Non-code tank trailers are generally used in the transport industry for the general transportation of liquid products. In the context of the present invention, it relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a stainless steel tank mounted on at least one axle. The tank can include at least one compartment. The tank can also be made of aluminum or steel. The tank can include an assembly shell and heads (2 or more, depends on the number of compartments). The tank can either be: cylindrical, elliptical or conical.
For practical matters, tanker trailers generally have access ports that are all located on top of the barrel. These ports, called manholes, either serve for inspection, filling look up, and sampling, as principal functions or even to give access to the interior of the tank for any other purpose. A manhole is typically provided for each compartment of the tank. The fact that this port is located on top of the tank, increase the danger to an operator wanting to access the port. Other than access ports, there can be also provided a Clean-In-Place (C.I.P.) system, a venting device and a leveling probe that is usually found next to manhole. These other systems access the inside of the tank through the top of the tank. The venting device is important as it ensures that the tank is operated at a proper designated «operational pressure» during the loading/unloading process. The venting device helps avoid positive or negative deformation (from vacuum or pressurization) of the tank. The Clean-In-Place (C.I.P.) system ensures that all parts that would be or have been, in contact with the contained product, are properly cleaned in order to satisfy applicable regulations. The Clean-In-Place (C.I.P.) system is used a couple of times by the operator on a daily basis. In fact, regulations require that the interior surface and every surface, which might have been in contact with the product, be cleaned and sanitized each time the tank is emptied. For example, the cleaning of a milk tank and accessory devices is a chore that requires 3 to 4 steps to satisfy regulations. This process ensures that there is no stale or old dry milk that has been left in the tank the last time the tank was used. These residues could contaminate the new milk and the carrier can lose a whole batch. The leveling probe either serves as a warning alarm or as a motor shut off device.
Independently of the specific product carried in this particular type of semi-trailer, the industry in general, as well as organizations like the Cargo Tank Risk Management Committee (CTRMC) are now more and more concerned about operator security. These organizations seek to minimize the risks of operator injury when operating tank trailer operating systems. These organizations work with all players involved in tank trailer transportation (carrier, worker, manufacturer, supplier, government) to improve the daily security of workers.
A large part of the security problems with the above-described tank trailers is linked to the location of all the above-mentioned devices on the tank. In prior art tank trailers, a large part of the work done by the operator has to be on top of the tank and thus results in greater risks to operator health and security. In a normal day of work, the operator has to climb to the top of the tank several times.
Several innovations have attempted to increase operator safety. Prior art tank trailers include catwalks and/or anti-slip paper on top of the tank. Improved ladders have also been provided as safety railing became an industry standard. However, even with all of these features that have been added to tank trailers, each time that the operator has to climb to approximately three meters from the ground to reach a top of a tank, a lot of risk still remains.
For all advantages that industry standard configurations in tank trailers can bring to the carrier world, there are also a lot of flaws that come with it. As mentioned before, even though operator security is a big concern, but there are also a lot of collateral disadvantages. Just for example, it costs a lot of money for a carrier to insure its employees. There is also a cost associated with all the security parts added to the semi-trailer. All the devices operated on top of the tank also increase the overall height of the tanker trailer. The overall processing time for a normal day of work can also be improved by finding more practical ways to operate all devices.
Other than the security of the operators, there is also an important point that concerns the security of the contents of the tank. Any sanitary tanker has to have anti-tampering system in place to avoid any malevolence from anything or anybody that could ruin the entire integrity of the contents of the tank. For that matter, every important entry point, that can give any kind of access to the interior of the tank and/or to the product, should be forbidden. Possible openings have to be sealed and/or locked. The anti-tampering system allows the operator to see if any alteration of the product has occurred. On a standard tanker semi-trailer, inspection of several different points is required. Therefore, it takes times to make a good verification of all possible entry points, and the more places one has to look, the more one can miss something.
Prior art patent documents known to the Applicant include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,140,211B2, 4,127,216, 4,407,315, 4,315,579, EP 1125865B1, EP 1447269B1, U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,421, EP 1232906B1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,860,018, 2,909,186, EP 1806299A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,128,899, 5,348,179, 3,072,284, 3,117,584, 1,859,479, and 3,358,009.
Therefore, there is a need, in the non-code tank trailer business, to improve both the security and productivity of the workers. One often forgets that most of the time, workers have to reach the top of the tank under hazardous conditions. Rainy, snowy, and windy days, as well as side of the road emergency stops are all conditions that can be experienced by the operator. Also, physical and mental soreness the driver of a tank trailer experiences after a long shift at the wheel can drastically decrease the driver's capabilities tending to increase the danger associated with a driver navigating and performing tasks to the top of the tank. There is a need for a tank trailer that reduces exposure time to the top of the tank during a normal operational day.